1. Field of Invention
A trailer hitch locking device for securing a trailer having a ball type hitch includes a rigid U-shaped frame member having a central lower mounting member, an upper pin shield, a locking pin having a flattened locking end, a shaft and a pin head, the locking end engaging a cylindrical security lock which engages the locking pin through a hole in the frame member, the cylindrical security lock being surrounded by a lock security collar, preventing access to the entire cylindrical lock except for the outer surface of the cylindrical lock, exposed from the lock security collar, the pin head being sunken into a pin head recess in the frame member across from the lock security collar. The pin head access prevents access to the pin, the upper pin shield prevents access to the shaft of the pin and the cylindrical security lock and lock security collar preventing access to the locking end of the pin, the pin preventing removal of the device from the applied ball type hitch of the trailer.
2. Description of Prior Art
The following United States patents were discovered and are disclosed within this application for utility patent. All relate to trailer locking devices. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,317 to Hillabush, a locking device adapted to a lunette-style trailer is disclosed which includes a bottom member having a hardened tang with a central aperture, a top member having a slot through which the tang extends and a step in lock having a bolt, activated by a lock mechanism, which engages the aperture in the tang to attach the bottom member to the top member, the step in lock having a raised wall within which the step in lock is secured. The step in lock and the raised wall bear similarity to element of the present invention, but the remainder of the Hillabush device is distinctively different from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. D419,122 to Stech is adapted to a trailer hitch having a square ball locking mechanism. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,432 to Dwyer is a lock box is fitted over a trailer hitch, also having a central tang which is inserted within the ball receiving portion of a ball trailer hitch, as are U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,614 to Bonvillain, U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,139 to Sellers, U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,964 to Bratzler and D388,383 to Foster.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,755 to O'Neal involves a rounded ball inserting into the ball type hitch, the ball connected to a chain, the chain further connected to a padlock which locks the chain to a hole in the spring loaded lever of the hitch, locking the ball within the ball-type hitch. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,823 to Callison, a simple ball attached to a mounting plate attached to the trailer hitch, serves dual purpose, first in blocking access to a ball type hitch socket, and second, locking a connection between a ball type hitch and a ball on a towing hitch when attached together. A universal trailer hitch is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. D436,064 to Niswanger, discloses a U-shaped frame member, a central lower mounting member attached to the U-shaped member and a locking pin spanning the U-shaped member through a pair of aligned holes in the U-shaped member, the locking pin secured to the U-shaped member by a padlock, the locking pin securely retaining the Niswanger device on a ball type hitch.